Arsenal can land double Man Utd transfer blow by proving Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos wrong again

Arsenal have rarely looked further away from Manchester United than they do under Mikel Arteta.

The architect of so much heartbreak in North London, from the 8-2 to Robin van Persie, United have been almost as hated at the Emirates Stadium as some of Arsenal's London rivals. It's why there will no doubt be so much glee at the chaos currently engulfing Old Trafford under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos group.

Sticking with Erik ten Hag, spending £200million plus on players for his system before sacking him just months later, raising ticket prices mid-season, and removing a sporting director after just five months are just some of the growing missteps witnessed at M16 under Ineos.

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And there is now an opportunity for Arsenal to pile more misery on the Red Devils. Reports on Tuesday in the Telegraph have claimed that United forward Marcus Rashford could potentially be available.

The report claims that the club were open to selling him last summer and remain receptive to bids. Rashford was linked with a move to Arsenal in the summer, but nothing ever materialised.

United have needed to be careful with their finances regarding the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Millions of wasted money on players has seen the club needing to cut costs, and selling an academy graduate like Rashford will boost their PSR position due to his homegrown status.

The Red Devils may be desperate in order to comply with the league's financial rules as they also look to strengthen Ruben Amorim's squad next summer, so could accept a reasonable offer for the 27-year-old. Of course there is the question of whether the winger is good enough to play for Mikel Arteta's title challengers and the jury is very much still out on that one.

Meanwhile, Dan Ashworth's shock exit from Old Trafford is another chance for Arsenal to show up Ineos' poor decision making. The former Brighton and Newcastle sporting director was previously prasied for his work in the transfer market at both clubs.

It should be noted however that none of United's summer signings under his watch have been a success, bar perhaps Noussair Mazraoui, after spending millions.

There are also reports that he wanted Gareth Southgate to replace Ten Hag, despite him being unqualified for such a big Premier League job. It seemed like a hasty decision to get rid of Ashworth but it could also be said that most of his decisions at United were questionable.

But if Arsenal are looking for a direct replacement for Edu, they may have just been handed one and under a more stable structure, Ashworth could thrive.